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It's a Night for Young and Old: Trivia Nights and Other Games are Taking a Back Seat in Pubs, Clubs and Hotels as the US-Led Poker Craze Takes Over, Promising all the Thrills of Tournament Play in the Familiar Environment of Your Local Pub.
FORGET trivia. Poker nights are taking pubs by storm as the new way for bar flies to while away the hours.
It could be the increasing popularity of poker on the TV or the increasing on-line popularity. Either way, poker nights are rapidly becoming a popular fixture in UK pubs and clubs.
The Amateur National Poker League (ANPL.co.uk) has more than doubled the number of participating pubs to 14 since its launch just a few weeks ago.
ANPL's Managing Director, Sarah Meehan, said the instant popularity of the Poker Nights had taken them by surprise - taking off much more quickly than expected and seemed to be following a trend seen in Australia and the US for Poker in pubs.
"Poker nights have become the new trivia nights," Sarah said. "We are getting a huge demand from pubs as well as clubs and hotels."
Participants do not play for money, but for points and prizes, ensuring the tournaments do not infringe gaming laws.
The landlord at the Round of Beef in Halesowen, West Midlands, Richard Fellows, said: "Our poker nights are becoming increasingly popular. We started with 14 players on our first Poker Night, which became 25 by the second week. All the signs are that our next night will be packed.".
"It's staggering how it's taken off," Mr Fellows said.
The ANPL's Sarah Meehan said the league aimed to have 150 pubs participating in the UK by the end of its first season and we are looking for new venues all the time.
"It's massive in the United States," she said. "It's the biggest craze over there and it has been for the past two years."
She added that there were four television channels dedicated to poker in the UK, and audience numbers were still growing.
"We have had to revise our plans to cope with the number of enquiries we are getting and to increase the roll-out," she said. "We are actively recruiting poker agents to ensure that we can service the new venues."
Background:
Members join at a participating pub or club and receive a unique membership card, which registers their play at each event. ANPL's Pub Poker is played for points which are accumulated by members in season-long tournaments. At the end of the 10 week season the overall winners get prizes which can range from holidays to seats at the World Series of Poker (WSOP).
The game played is No-Limit Texas Hold'em - the most popular variation - and each evening at a pub can consist of one or more rounds building to a final table of eight. A Tournament Director attends each Poker Night to ensure that the rules are followed and to assist newcomers.
Players earn points just for playing and additional points for making the final table. Results are updated daily on a leaderboard at the ANPL website - www.anpl.co.uk
ANPL is a specialised entertainment company aiming to be a major brand in this sector.
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